CNN's Jim Acosta misquotes President Trump's immigration speech — the backlash is fierce

CNN's White House correspondent Jim Acosta was torched on social media when he tried to pass along a quote attributed to President Donald Trump that misrepresented his immigration policies.

The president was offering a comprehensive immigration plan during a speech from the White House when Acosta offered a quote on his Twitter feed.

"Trump in Rose Garden speech paints asylum seekers with broad brush accusing them of misleading immigration authorities at border," tweeted Acosta, adding the quote, "These are frivolous claims," from the president.

But, as many on social media noted, the CNN anchor misrepresented the president's comments, which made it clear that there were many asylum-seekers with appropriate claims alongside those that had fake claims.

"We must also restore the integrity of our broken asylum system. Our nation has a proud history of affording protection to those fleeing government persecutions," the president said in his speech.

"Unfortunately, legitimate asylum-seekers are being displaced by those lodging frivolous claims," he added. "These are frivolous claims to gain admission into our country."

Acosta was excoriated on social media for his misrepresentation of Trump's speech, which was filled with compliments about immigrants.

"How hard is it to just tweet the quote without your spin @Acosta? What is it exactly you do here?" joked commentator Stephen Miller.

"This is a lie and @Acosta is intentionally changing @realDonaldTrump's meaning," responded Trump's 2020 communications director Tim Murtaugh.

The president's plan included demands for new immigrants to learn English and to pass a civics test.

Here's part of Trump's immigration speech:

Trump Debuts Bold New Immigration Planwww.youtube.com